Monday, July 7, 2014

Bowlmor Lanes, here since 1938, closes for good. It had been the longest continuously operating bowling alley on the East Coast, per the Bowlmor website.

Staff confirmed the closure to us (as did our blogging friend Alex at Flaming Pablum, who took the family in one last time yesterday).

The businesses here on the west side of University between East 12th Street and East 13th Street have been clearing out in recent months to make way for some unspecified luxury development via landlord Billy Macklowe, who bought a long-term controlling position in the building back in 2012.

10 comments:

What a wonderful stretch University Place was at one point. There was One U (1 Univ. Place) the Cookery was on the corner of 8th Street, The Cedar Tavern and Bradley's, the legendary Piano Bar, were almost next to each other. Now the only place left from that era is Knickerbockers Steak House.

Add Crumbs to the list of places closing on University Place. Crumbs is closing down all 48 cupcake stores including the one on University and 13th, one on Park Avenue South near 18th St, they also had a gluten free Crumbs location on 8th near University. Looks like they went public promising cupcakes were not a fad, expanded way too quickly, started losing money, got delisted and then just fired everyone overnight.

Overpriced and overcooked cupcakes are going the way of frozen yogurt and so many other foodie fads. Chipotle is still rapidly expanding but it wont be long before they hit the wall too. But I doubt Jeremiah will be writing about Crumbs...Vanishing! anytime soon.

They should have kept it, since this upscale Bowlmor caters to the ones who will be buying/renting in this lux condo boutiques. Bowlmor have locations too in Times Square and Chelsea piers, catering to the tourists and the bland dull corporate drudges.

Went to Bowlmor at the end of the '80s, with friends. In selecting a ball to use, I gravitated to this particular red one, which seemed to jump onto my hand when I reached for it, and flew off my hand when I rolled it – resulting im strike after strike, whereas I'd always been bad at bowling. It was definitely somehting that would have been in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" – except that the dazzling display and high scores didn't come at the price of my soul.

How can there be an upscale bowling alley? That's an oxymoron, like "Catholic rabbi."

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